President Bush on Wednesday again vetoed a bill to expand federal funding of stem cell research, marking only the third time he has used his veto pen during his presidency.
“If this legislation became law, it would compel American taxpayers for the first time in our history to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos,” Bush told opponents of the bill in the East Room. “I made it clear to Congress and to the American people that I will not allow our nation to cross this moral line.
“Last year, Congress passed a similar bill,” he added. “I kept my promise by vetoing it. And today I’m keeping my word again: I’m vetoing the bill that Congress has sent.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid planned to schedule a vote to override the veto, although the Nevada Democrat did not appear to have the necessary support of two-thirds of the Senate.
“It’s a sad day for the patients of America,” said Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo. “The president has become a roadblock to allowing this research, which would unlock treatments and cures for numerous diseases and conditions, including diabetes, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, nerve damage and so many others.”
Bush said there are other types of stem cell research that do not destroy human life. He issued an executive order Wednesday directing the government to step up such research.
“We’re already seeing remarkable advances in science and therapeutic uses of stem cells drawn from adults and children and the blood from umbilical cords with no harm to the donor,” Bush said.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is running for president, assailed Bush’s veto during a speech to a liberal group in Washington.
“This is just one example of how the president puts ideology before science, politics before the needs of our families,” the New York Democrat told the Take Back America conference. “When I am president, I will lift the ban on stem cell research.”
Bush’s veto was supported by presidential candidate Mitt Romney but opposed by GOP rivals John McCain and Rudy Giuliani.
